Camp John SMA Phase 1 Year 2 Plan of Development EA Available for Review

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Buffalo Field Office (BFO) announces the availability of an environmental assessment (EA) on the Camp John SMA Phase 1 Year 2 coalbed natural gas (CBNG) Plan of Development (Camp John SMA 1.2 POD) for public review. The purpose of the review is to provide the public with an opportunity to comment on Lance Oil and Gas Company Inc.’s (Lance) proposed POD and their request to modify stipulations on six of the affected leases.

The Camp John SMA 1.2 POD is located in western Campbell County, Wyo., encompassing 6,895 acres. The project area lies within the Fortification Creek Planning Area (FCPA) and is subject to the 2011 FCPA Resource Management Plan Amendment.

The EA documents the direct, indirect, and cumulative environmental impacts of two alternatives; a no action alternative which would deny additional wells and the proposed action. The proposed action includes 43 Applications for Permit to Drill (APDs) on leased federal minerals for CBNG.

Six of the federal leases include no surface occupancy (NSO) stipulations for the purpose of protecting elk calving range. Lance filed a request with the BLM to modify the current NSO stipulations to controlled surface use and timing limitation stipulations which Lance believes will be adequate to protect the resident elk population and their calving range.

A lease stipulation may only be modified if the BLM determines that the factors leading to its inclusion have changed sufficiently so that the stipulation is no longer justified or if the proposed operations would not cause unacceptable impacts. A lease modification of major concern to the public shall be subject to public review for at least a 30-day period.

Comments on the stipulation modification request and EA can be sent to: Jim Verplancke, natural resource specialist, BLM Buffalo Field Office, 1425 Fort Street, Buffalo, WY, 82834 or emailed to: BLM_WY_Fort_Crk_WYMail@blm.gov. Comments must be received or post-marked by July 15, 2013.

The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The BLM's mission is to manage and conserve the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations under our mandate of multiple-use and sustained yield. In Fiscal Year 2014, the BLM generated $5.2 billion in receipts from public lands.